Courts to be in charge of registration of churches, says justice minister

Budapest, June 15 (MTI) – The drafting of an amendment to the church law is nearing completion, under which the registration of churches will be the competence of courts instead of parliament, Justice Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi told daily Magyar Hirlap in an interview on Monday.

Hungary’s Constitutional Court annulled passages on the registration of churches in February, 2013, saying the church law failed to stipulate that detailed reasons must be provided when a request for church status is refused and it lacked a provision allowing applicants to appeal. The court also noted the potential for political influence when granting church status by a parliamentary vote.

Trocsanyi told the paper that the draft amendment would soon be submitted to the government. Consultations with the churches are also planned, he said, adding that the legislation would be submitted to parliament in the autumn.